Teens pitch in to help Church with green ideas

When Veronica Glab, a student at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, calculated what kind of ecological "footprint" she was leaving on the world through www.myfootprint.com, she was shocked.

The site uses consumption habits to paint a picture of how a person affects the world, she noted.

"I'm the kind of person who recycles, and I turn off the tap when I brush my teeth," she said. Nevertheless, the 17-year-old senior found out that "we would need eight [Earths] if everybody lived like I did."

Environment

Seniors at the school must complete 20 hours of community service during their senior year. Veronica and three others -- Allison Cunniff, Theresa Juergens and Amela Rizvanovic -- wanted to focus on something that would have a positive impact on the environment.

School officials connected the students with Catholic Charities' public policy committee, which had been looking to research and assemble materials to help Church agencies and parishes deal with energy conservation and climate change.

The students took up the challenge, attended public policy meetings and met with Catholic Charities staff to complete the project.

Output

The seniors wrote a series of bulletin inserts for parishes, crafted a brochure for use in schools and agencies, and collated resources and suggestions for organizations interested in an "energy audit," which tells how much electricity they are using and how efficient their use of electricity is.

They also composed a sample letter to legislators regarding an expansion of recycling bills currently under consideration in the New York State Legislature.

Veronica's portion of the project dealt with what individuals could do to reduce their consumption and assist in conservation efforts.

"We can do so much, as individuals, to prevent the negative effects of global warming -- and a lot of people don't realize that," she said. "Even if you think you're living an environmentally friendly lifestyle, you're not, just because of all the things you can consume, from the appliances you use to the car you drive."

Suggestions

Veronica has a number of ideas for what individuals can do:

* buy a hybrid gas/electric automobile, which "are going to be much more affordable, advanced, and efficient and inexpensive" than previous models;

* step up recycling efforts, throw away less in the weekly garbage, do laundry less frequently and plant trees to reduce toxic emissions "by half";

* because it takes 16 pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat, have "meatless" Fridays or go increasingly vegetarian to reduce consumption;

* replace incandescent light-bulbs with longer-lasting fluorescent models;

* express opinions about environmental matters to lawmakers; and

* take public transportation.

Working as one

There's power in numbers, Veronica added, noting that little changes add up when large groups of people make them.

"Once everybody contributes, that's when it really amounts to something, and every little thing that you do adds up to a domino effect," she explained.

Veronica, who will attend Boston University this fall to study journalism and international relations, sees a rising interest in environmentalism among teenagers and young adults.

The cause is "becoming more popular with people my age," she said. "A lot of it is showing up on the news more and more, and we have celebrities concerned, so we're growing up with it, becoming informed that we have a limited supply of everything. We can help bring a more positive future in taking care of the Earth."

(Organizations interested in the energy audit or obtaining further information can call Catholic Charities at 453-6650).

(4/26/07) [[In-content Ad]]